Vistra (NYSE:VST) Shares Up 9.6% – Here’s Why

Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST)’s share price was up 9.6% during mid-day trading on Thursday . The stock traded as high as $143.07 and last traded at $138.23. Approximately 6,912,789 shares were traded during mid-day trading, an increase of 0% from the average daily volume of 6,909,673 shares. The stock had previously closed at $126.09.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on VST. Morgan Stanley upped their target price on shares of Vistra from $110.00 to $132.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, September 23rd. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price target on Vistra from $146.00 to $147.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 29th. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price objective on Vistra from $99.00 to $137.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, September 24th. UBS Group lowered their target price on shares of Vistra from $157.00 to $150.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, October 22nd. Finally, BNP Paribas began coverage on shares of Vistra in a research note on Monday, October 14th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $231.00 price target for the company. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to MarketBeat, Vistra currently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $145.40.

Vistra Stock Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.89, a quick ratio of 0.88 and a current ratio of 0.98. The stock has a market cap of $46.91 billion, a P/E ratio of 101.64 and a beta of 1.09. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $110.89 and its 200-day moving average price is $93.99.

Vistra (NYSE:VST) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 8th. The company reported $0.90 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.59 by ($0.69). Vistra had a net margin of 4.61% and a return on equity of 21.05%. The company had revenue of $3.85 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.04 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $1.03 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Vistra Corp. will post 4.02 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Investors of record on Friday, December 20th will be paid a dividend of $0.221 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, December 20th. This is an increase from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.65%. Vistra’s payout ratio is 64.71%.

Institutional Trading of Vistra

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Castle Hook Partners LP raised its position in shares of Vistra by 470.0% during the first quarter. Castle Hook Partners LP now owns 3,769,842 shares of the company’s stock valued at $262,569,000 after buying an additional 3,108,511 shares during the last quarter. TD Asset Management Inc increased its holdings in Vistra by 9,668.5% in the 1st quarter. TD Asset Management Inc now owns 2,940,113 shares of the company’s stock valued at $204,779,000 after acquiring an additional 2,910,015 shares during the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA lifted its stake in Vistra by 115.3% in the 2nd quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 2,532,657 shares of the company’s stock worth $217,758,000 after purchasing an additional 1,356,488 shares in the last quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans boosted its holdings in shares of Vistra by 1,358.2% during the 2nd quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 1,228,144 shares of the company’s stock valued at $105,596,000 after purchasing an additional 1,143,918 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Marshall Wace LLP boosted its stake in Vistra by 315.9% during the second quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 1,175,811 shares of the company’s stock valued at $101,096,000 after buying an additional 893,093 shares during the last quarter. 90.88% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Vistra Company Profile

Vistra Corp., together with its subsidiaries, operates as an integrated retail electricity and power generation company. The company operates through six segments: Retail, Texas, East, West, Sunset, and Asset Closure. It retails electricity and natural gas to residential, commercial, and industrial customers across states in the United States and the District of Columbia.